The impact of urban vs rural environments on driving mobility and safety in older age

Sol Morrissey; Stephen Jeffs; Rachel Gillings; Mizanur Khondoker; Mary Fisher-Morris; Ed Manley; Michael Hornberger

doi:10.1016/j.trf.2025.07.005

The impact of urban vs rural environments on driving mobility and safety in older age

Sol Morrissey, Stephen Jeffs, Rachel Gillings, Mizanur Khondoker, Mary Fisher-Morris, Ed Manley, Michael Hornberger

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Abstract

Older rural drivers rely more on driving due to limited transportation options, but the impact of cognition on driving in urban versus rural settings is unclear. This study examined whether cognitive changes affect driving mobility and road safety differently across these populations. In a prospective cohort study, 969 older drivers completed driving behaviour and road traffic incident (RTI) history questionnaires, followed by cognitive testing, with a follow-up one year later. We find that older rural drivers have a greater driving mobility than older urban drivers and are less likely to reduce their driving mobility over time, as only urban residents with cognitive decline reduced their driving space. RTI incidence was higher in urban areas, with a stronger link between poor cognition and increased RTI risk in urban residents. This study suggests the interaction between cognitive changes and environmental setting on driving behaviour, providing insights for policy development on driving mobility and safety among older adults.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	821-830
Number of pages	10
Journal	Transportation Research Part F: Psychology and Behaviour
Volume	114
Early online date	7 Jul 2025
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trf.2025.07.005
Publication status	Published - Oct 2025

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10.1016/j.trf.2025.07.005Licence: CC BY

Morrissey_etal_2025_TRFFinal published version, 1.1 MBLicence: CC BY

https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S1369847825002438Licence: CC BY

Data-driven assessment of driving behaviour in cognitive vulnerable elderly
Hornberger, M., Aung, M. H., Khondoker, M. & Jeffs, S.
Department of Transport
28/06/20 → 31/12/22
Project: Research

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title = "The impact of urban vs rural environments on driving mobility and safety in older age",

abstract = "Older rural drivers rely more on driving due to limited transportation options, but the impact of cognition on driving in urban versus rural settings is unclear. This study examined whether cognitive changes affect driving mobility and road safety differently across these populations. In a prospective cohort study, 969 older drivers completed driving behaviour and road traffic incident (RTI) history questionnaires, followed by cognitive testing, with a follow-up one year later. We find that older rural drivers have a greater driving mobility than older urban drivers and are less likely to reduce their driving mobility over time, as only urban residents with cognitive decline reduced their driving space. RTI incidence was higher in urban areas, with a stronger link between poor cognition and increased RTI risk in urban residents. This study suggests the interaction between cognitive changes and environmental setting on driving behaviour, providing insights for policy development on driving mobility and safety among older adults.",

author = "Sol Morrissey and Stephen Jeffs and Rachel Gillings and Mizanur Khondoker and Mary Fisher-Morris and Ed Manley and Michael Hornberger",

note = "Data availability: Data will be made available on request. Funding: This work was supported by the UK Department for Transport (grant number: R208830). This study is supported by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Applied Research Collaboration East of England (NIHR ARC EoE) at Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust. S. Morrissey{\textquoteright}s studentship is jointly funded by the Faculty of Medicine & Health Sciences, University of East Anglia (United Kingdom), and the Earle and Stuart Charitable Trust. The views expressed are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of the NIHR or the Department of Health and Social Care (United Kingdom).",

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doi = "10.1016/j.trf.2025.07.005",

language = "English",

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AU - Manley, Ed

AU - Hornberger, Michael

N1 - Data availability: Data will be made available on request. Funding: This work was supported by the UK Department for Transport (grant number: R208830). This study is supported by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Applied Research Collaboration East of England (NIHR ARC EoE) at Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust. S. Morrissey’s studentship is jointly funded by the Faculty of Medicine & Health Sciences, University of East Anglia (United Kingdom), and the Earle and Stuart Charitable Trust. The views expressed are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of the NIHR or the Department of Health and Social Care (United Kingdom).

PY - 2025/10

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N2 - Older rural drivers rely more on driving due to limited transportation options, but the impact of cognition on driving in urban versus rural settings is unclear. This study examined whether cognitive changes affect driving mobility and road safety differently across these populations. In a prospective cohort study, 969 older drivers completed driving behaviour and road traffic incident (RTI) history questionnaires, followed by cognitive testing, with a follow-up one year later. We find that older rural drivers have a greater driving mobility than older urban drivers and are less likely to reduce their driving mobility over time, as only urban residents with cognitive decline reduced their driving space. RTI incidence was higher in urban areas, with a stronger link between poor cognition and increased RTI risk in urban residents. This study suggests the interaction between cognitive changes and environmental setting on driving behaviour, providing insights for policy development on driving mobility and safety among older adults.

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ER -

The impact of urban vs rural environments on driving mobility and safety in older age

Abstract

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Data-driven assessment of driving behaviour in cognitive vulnerable elderly

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